The Key To Combat

Chapter 5

This is awesome, I just won My first fight and I got a cute charm for my bracelet. I have to call and tell my parents. They're going to be so proud of me. After I finsih connecting the charm to my bracelet I look up and realize I'm at SOCS. Why isn't anyone in their simulators? I go to the phone and dial my mom. That's weird it's not ringing. I try my dad. Again, it doesn't ring. Okay what's going on? I'm at SOCS but no one is here and the phone lines are dead, this doesn't make any sense. I rush down the stairs to search for someone. Anyone. I don't see anyone but I remember I do have one person that I can talk to. "Rhi," I say as I lift my hand up to my face. "Greetings Wavina, how can I help you?" she asks and I smile remembering I set my R.H.I to look like my sister, Keivy. "Where are my parents?" I ask hoping this isn't some freaky horrific situation and they are at home and not abducted by aliens. "at home" R.H.I replies. "can you drive me there?" I ask. "No, but you can drive that car out front." she responds. "awesome." I say happily as I run out the doors and get into the car. I start the car and begin my journey home. I arrive at home after about forty five minutes. I open the door and walk into the Piano room. "dad?" I call. I run up the stairs and into my parents room. "mom!" I yell. RHI said they were here. If they are here why aren't they answering me? This is really worrying me. What if they are in danger, I have to find them. I run to my room and they aren't there either. I run into my sisters room and I stop in my tracks. Something smells delicious. I run down the stairs and into the kitchen. "MOM!" I say with excitement. "sweetie, what are you doing home so soon?" she asks while she pulls a tray of chicken out of the oven. "I had to come and show you this." I say pointing to my bracelet. "Honey, I know that's your favourite bracelet. I bought it for you remember?" she jokes. "no, mom. I'm showing you the new charm on it." I say raising my left hand higher in the air. " oh wow, it's lovely. Where did you get it?" she asks as she grabs a pair of tongs from the drawer. I walk over to the cupboard and take out a plate and hand it to her. "I won my first combat battle." I say with a huge smile on my face. She puts the plate down on the counter and places the tongs on it. "that's great sweeite, I'm so proud of you!" she says with pride as she wraps her arms around me. She picks up the tongs and grabs a piece of chicken and places it on the plate. "thanks mom. It was really weird though, at first I thought I was going to fight Kyscin, b-" She lifts her head from the food and has a puzzled look on her face. "that handsome boy that your smitten with?" she asks as she puts her hand on my chin. I grab her hand and put it down. "yes mom, okay? Can you focus that's not the point of this story." I say. "Okay sorry, go on." she says with a gesture indicating she wont say another word. She grabs another piece of chicken puts it on the plate. "So there we were in a small room face to face and Kyscins face starts to disfigure and then I realize hes's morphing. And he morphed into, me." I explain. My mom puts the tongs down and turns to me and grabs my hands. "Morphed into you? That's ridiculous. Honey, I told you that school was nuts. I'm glad you won your first battle but just come home before you get yourself really hurt." she says. I pull my hands away and take a step back. I let out a short breath. "you still don't believe in me." I say disappointedly. She takes a step towards me and tries to grab my hands again but I fold them beneath my chest. Her expression changes from sweet to cold very quickly and the kind smile she was wearing has completely disappeared. "No, I don't." she says with an evil grin. I step forward and say this proudly, "you should!" I say, then I brush past her and head out the door. As I walk to the car I'm holding my head because that felt like a weird nightmare. I shake it off and drive over to Anna's house. She waves to me as she sees me pull up. She walks down her front lawn and around the car to open the passenger side door. "How are you?" anna asks. But I don't want to talk about me. Clearly weird stuff happens when I talk about me. I don't want my problems to make Anna weird too. I don't think I could take it if the only person I could go to was A hologram. Who do you talk to in a situation like this. Yea, hello my mother has been possessed by some unloving spirit crushing monster. I need to get to the bottom of this, I shouldn't be sitting here talking to Anna. I should be talking to the person in charge. The one and only person who can tell me exactly whats going on. "Good. But I just remembered, I have to go pick up Keivy, and if I'm late she will not be happy." I lie. "Oh, you don't have to worry, your dad dropped her off about a half hour ago. She's in there playing with my sisters." Anna smiles. "oh did he?" I ask rhetorically. "did I say Keivy I meant my aunt, she needs me to pick her up and bring.. her.... here. Not here, here as in your house, my house." I hesitate. Anna looks at me perplexed while I stutter and softly nudge her out the car. "Yea, my mom is still not over me getting into S.O.C.S she's gotta gloat about it to everyone, okay by Anna." I lie again and Anna shuts the car door. I wave goodbye and drive off so I can get some answers. Once I make it back to S.O.C.S I rush out of the car and raise my hand to my face as I run towards the doors. "R.H.I" I call. "Hello Wavina." she answers. I push open the entrance doors. "Where can I find Diane?" I question. "Through those doors." she says spining around and pointing at the red doors one hundred feet away. I run to the doors and push them open fifteen seconds later to see Diane sitting in front of a desk. I walk towards her. "Diane, I need to talk to you." I demand. "Sure Wavina, have a seat." she offers while putting her pen down on her desk and folding her hands together. I take a seat in the chair in front of her. "Diane, something weird is going on. Why am I the only person here?" I ask. "I'm here. How does that make you the only person here?" she retorts. "I know tha- Okay fine. I'm not the only person here, but I am the only student. Why?" I interrogate. "I don't know what you are talking about I see many students" she says pointing to the screen displaying camera footage of the halls. I look up at the screen and see once again, empty hallways. I turn back to her and look at her as if she's crazy. "The halls are empty," I say slowly second guessing what I see. I'm starting to think maybe *I'm* the one that's losing it. You must have accidentally pushed a button on your simulator. It has caused you to wake up and not be able to see anyone. Come with me." She stands and guides me out the door. "This is an easy fix, don't worry." she says and I smile. She continues down the hallway and I follow behind her. We're walking down the hall and Diane makes a left. I hear laughter and turn around heading towards the sound. As I get closer the laughter becomes louder and I hear music. In Diane's office? But I was just in here. It was empty. I opush the doors open. Where did the desk go? I see Anna and Jeremy laughing in the corner to my right. Lynn, Rebecca, Kyscin and Mike all chatting. Wow everyone is here. Al, Ricky, Joseph. Wait. Is this a party? Why wasn't I invited. "WAVI!" everyone yells. I laugh. Okay nevermind I guess I'm just late. I walk over to the counter that has suddenly appeared against the back wall since the first time I walked into this room. I finally pass all the dancing bodies and grab a drink on the counter and Kyscin walks over. "Hey Wavi." he says with a flirtatious smile. Is he flirting? No way, Kyscin doesn't like me that way. "Hi" I reply taking a sip of my drink. He looks away and itches his forehead. "So are you enjoying the party?" he asks "yea, it's cool. Who did all of this?" I ask looking around at all the lights hanging on the walls. He looks up at the lights and then back down at me. "I don't know but it's real nice." he says and then he smiles. I look away because I'm confused and I don't want to make a fool of myself. Just two hours ago, my mother looked at me with such evil in her eyes, I couldn't recognize her. For all I know Kyscin could just be acting like this because somehow he caught the same weird energy that must have hit my mother. I don't know what's going on but I can't lose focus. I have to figure out why everything seems off. Why did I come here? I'm supposed to be fixing my simulator. "I have to go." I say quickly turning around and putting my cup down on the counter. When I turn back around Lynn is standing right in front of me and she is wearing the most cocky grin. "Lynn not now." I demand. I take a step and she grabs my arm and pushes me back. "you don't get to decide that." she snarks and I sigh. "What do you want?" I ask but it's not really a question I care to get the answer to. "I want you to tell me and everyone here why you hate me." she says. "I don't think so." I say pushing past her and a couple others and she turns around. "Bravery is a warriors best friend. I guess I was wrong to be threatened by you." she says and then high fives Mira while everyone murmurs and 'ooh's. I whip around and take a few steps towards her. "I don't have to prove anything to you." I say sharply. "That's too bad." she says. Everyone in the room quickly disappear. I'm back in the mirror room where I got my first charm. Lynn is here. I'm going to enjoy this. Her body begins to disfigure along with her face. Not again. I was really looking forward to handing it to little miss perfect. Who is it going to be this time? Soon I see me standing in her place. Why does it have to be me? Why cant I ruin somebody elses face? Whatever, let's get this over with. She charges at me and I leap to the right and kick her in the back with my left foot. She knocks her head on the glass and a piece gets stuck in her forehead. When she turns around I say, "awe, not the face." She rips the shard out and whips it at me, it pierces my skin and I let out a loud moan. The glass is in my chest right below my collar bone on the right side. I rip it out and throw it back at her but she whips it away with her right hand. She quickly jumps onto her hands into a hand stand and pushes her self off into the air and thrusts her right foot at me, whipping me in the face. My head whips to the back and I stumble backwards. I lean forward and spit the blood in my mouth onto the floor. Let's end this. I quickly lean back to prevent her left hook from connecting to my face. I swing forward over to my left and quickly lock my hands together and jab her hard at the side of her knee. She lets out a grunt as her knee falls forward onto the floor. I whip around behind her and snap her neck. She falls to the floor and I wait for her to disappear. I just realized there is no charm this time. Why not? Isn't knowing you don't have to prove anything to anyone more than brave? I don't understand. I think I definitely deserve a charm for that. I'm in my room somehow. Thank God, I'm exhausted. I need some rest. I lay down on my bed and close my eyes.